I grew up in my family’s Chinese restaurant in Charlotte. Here’s where I actually eat.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Charlotte offers a wide range of Chinese cuisine from dim sum to hot pot meals.
- Hot & sour soup serves as a quality benchmark when evaluating Chinese restaurants.
- Longstanding spots like Jade Dragon and newer entrants like LanZhou earn praise.
Chinese food comes in so many styles and traditions you can go cross-eyed trying to pick a “best” whether you’re talking Americanized or traditional, takeaway or dine-in.
For me, it comes down to tasty flavors, pleasant service and whether the food is piping hot, regardless of a first or 10th visit.
Consistency is a huge quality marker and hard to nail; I know firsthand, I grew up working in my parents’ South Charlotte Chinese restaurant, China Express. (It’s still there under new ownership.)
Like many Chinese-Americans (I was born in Taipei, but grew up in Charlotte), I love both “authentic” and Americanized dishes.
Out of towners may be incredulous about Charlotte’s Chinese food scene, but tens of thousands of Asian Charlotteans know where to go — they just might be tightlipped about it.
In my travels, I’ve found the best Chinese food outside of China and Taiwan in Vancouver, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, London, New York City and Queens.
But because we’re not in those cities, I’ve eaten through the Queen City for the best of what to get here, including restaurants just over two months to more than two decades old.
How I gauge Chinese restaurants
When I try a new Chinese restaurant, I always order a hot and sour soup to kick things off.
Why? Because hot and sour soup is incredibly nuanced.
It’s my litmus test for how well a Chinese spot cares about its flavors.
It’s hard to balance the “hot” and “sour” without also skewing too vinegar-y or salty.
A little heat (but not too much white pepper) is obligatory; the literal Chinese translation for hot and sour soup is “sour spicy soup.”
Then there’s what’s inside the actual soup.
Is it a skimpy soup, or are there well-portioned chunks of wood ear, pork, bamboo shoots, tofu and light egg ribbons swirling around?
Finally, is the soup’s viscosity spot-on?
Too thick, and it’s because there’s too much corn starch, or it’s been out too long.
Too watery, and it’s because there’s not enough starch, or it wasn’t started with a proper chicken broth.
And if you want to know who makes the best hot and sour soup in town? My Mom.
But I’ll settle for soup from some of the spots listed below.
What to eat and where: Chinese food
Baoding
Location: 4722-F Sharon Rd., Charlotte, NC 28210
What to get: Pineapple fish, Singapore curry noodles, General Tsao’s chicken, hot and sour soup
Baoding reminds me of a modern take on Chinese restaurants of lore, when they used to serve pu pu platters in gas-heated towers, alongside hand-sculpted carrot flowers and animals.
Inside, it’s a relaxing oasis of black lights, neon and a bar area.
On a recent outing, I discovered a delicious Pineapple fish ($22) of breaded swai fillet chunks in a light, sweet, transparent glaze, presented with a kitschy LED light bauble.
Operating since 1993, the management changed in 2017, when now-owner Jenny Kwon took over after a six-month work stint.
But the clientele hasn’t changed much. In fact, Baoding counts multi-generational regulars as patrons.
As for time-tested dishes, Kwon says, “Our most popular dishes are the Beijing Duck ($37), General Tsao’s chicken ($20), Three Glass chicken ($21) and chow foon noodles ($18 to $20).”
Honey Buns II
Location: Alley 51, 10500 Centrum Parkway, Pineville, NC 28134
What to get: Taiwan beef noodle soup
Though the buns are the namesake, my item of choice at Honey Buns II is the Taiwan beef noodle soup for $16.99. The beef is tender, and the broth has that nice aromatic spice that is immediately soothing and associated with a classic beef noodle soup.
Imperial Treasure
Location: 1826 Windsor Square Drive, Matthews, NC 28105
Location: 14815 Ballantyne Village Way #250, Charlotte, NC 28277
What to get: Assorted menu items
If you can manage to reserve ahead or arrive early at the Matthews location of Imperial Treasure to beat the odd booking and queuing system, then try the Hot & Sour soup and assorted dim sum menu items like pork soup dumpling, scallion pancake, fried glutinous rice dumplings, Hong Kong egg tart and sticky rice with chicken, all priced from $4 to $13.
Here, the atmosphere is upscale and elegant; perhaps one of the nicest Chinese dining rooms in Charlotte, despite the staff still trying to get a handle on hostess, service and wait time logistics.
The newer Ballantyne location is smaller in scale and while I’ve had a couple of meals that satisfied a hankering, nothing stood out like its counterpart location, except for the beef chow fun.
Jade Dragon
Location: 7741 Colony Rd, Charlotte, NC 28226
What to get: Assorted menu items
My family and I have brought many out-of-town guests and family friends to Jade Dragon over the years, because it’s one of the few Chinese restaurants with a well-lit and welcoming white tablecloth setting, and it has an incredibly calming, friendly ambience, too.
It’s loved by locals and the Chinese community for its General Tso’s chicken, basil tofu, eggplant chicken, and well-seasoned curry and spicy Singapore rice noodles, all priced around $15. And it has a great hot & sour soup.
Lam’s Kitchen
Location: 1369 Chestnut Ln, Matthews, NC 28104
What to get: Assorted menu items
Heading out to the Weddington area can be a hike for many, but when I do make it to Lam’s Kitchen, I choose mostly from the dim sum menu.
Your best bets here are the radish turnip cakes, soup dumplings and pork and shrimp shu mai, all $8 to $13. I also go for the curry beef brisket or mala beef brisket and daikon claypot ($20 each).
LanZhou Hand-Pulled Noodles
Location: 929 Park Center Dr Unit 101, Matthews, NC 28105
What to get: spicy beef or braised beef noodle soup with thick or wide noodles, sesame balls
Opened in April, you can’t go wrong with LanZhou’s traditional beef brisket noodle soup. The brisket is tender, the fresh noodles are chewy, and you can pick among wide or thin varieties.
Also, if the sesame balls with red bean paste pastries are available, then definitely try them for a post-noodle sweet treat.
Lee Cafe
Location: 1046 Regent Pkwy (Highway 21), Fort Mill, SC 29715
What to get: Assorted menu items
Just past the railroad tracks in Pineville in Fort Mill, Lee Cafe is my family’s go-to spot for takeaway Szechuan Chinese, and even dine-in when we have extended family or out-of-town guests.
What to get: You can feed a large family with so many yummy items, like these from the eat-in menu, all ranging from $16 to $32:
- #31 Szechuan spicy fish filet with bite-sized fried fish chunks and garnished with red chili peppers (dry fried, not in a sauce)
- Alternatively, #19 Spicy Chili Chicken is similar if you prefer chicken
- #55 Shredded pork with bean curd (tofu)
- #58 Salty fish, chicken and eggplant clay pot
- #20 Shredded pork in garlic sauce
- #15 Taiwan cabbage
- #52 Bi feng tang crab (soft shelled crab with panko-like crumb)
Sun’s Kitchen
Location: 3216 South Blvd. , Suite 105, Charlotte, NC 28209
What to get: Egg tarts (dan ta), ma-la shrimp dumplings, jian bing with you tiao, braised beef noodle soup
I go to Sun’s Kitchen for the big egg tarts (about 50% bigger than traditional dim sum egg tarts), and a satisfying breakfast-style jian bing with a crispy dough stick or “you tiao.”
The shrimp dumplings are satisfyingly spicy and plump, and the beef noodle soup is comforting and well-balanced, with tender beef brisket chunks.
%20at%20Sun%27s%20Kitchen%20copy.jpg "Dan Ta (egg tarts) at Sun's Kitchen copy.jpg")
Taipei Express
Location: 731 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207
Location: 9725 Red Stone Dr, Indian Land, SC 29707
What to get: Sa cha chicken, hot & sour soup
My go-tos at Taipei Express are sa cha chicken or shrimp because they make a good one — though I’ve tried many other dishes here. I just love sa cha!
If you’ve never tried sa cha sauce, it’s a Chinese barbecue sauce that’s nothing like sweet or smoky American barbecue sauce. It’s made with dried seafood as a base, so it can be an acquired taste. But it is less pungent than the noxious punch in the face that is Thai tom yum soup.
Here, these dishes are prepared with less sauce (not a bad thing) and overall salt than at Taipei South, despite having the same ownership.
Taipei South
Location: 10106 Johnston Rd, Charlotte, NC 28210
What to get: Assorted dinner combos, crab rangoons, hot & sour soup
My go-tos at Taipei South again are usually the sa cha chicken or shrimp ($10.95, $11.95), moo goo gai pan ($10.50) or shrimp lo mein ($11.95).
Dinner combos here also come with a spring or egg roll and rice, which make this one of the best value meals in town.
Additionally, the crab rangoons ($6.95) are chunky and cheesy — exactly what you want out of a rangoon.
Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle
Location: 3429 Toringdon Way, Charlotte, NC 28277
What to get: Original rice noodle soup, spicy slice beef rice noodle soup
Pick your protein, greens, and rice noodles (in that order), and like the namesake, let it all simmer for 10 seconds on your personal hot plate and your custom hot pot is ready at Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle.
You can choose from five soup bases for around $15: original, spicy, sour, spicy, tomato and pickled pepper, but I usually go for original or spicy.
Hot pots are also served with scallions, wood ear fungus, bamboo shoots, tofu, corn and cabbage, and it does have other non-hot-pot menu items, too. But you’re likely coming here for the hot pot.
Yiding Hot Pot
Location: 10610 Centrum Pkwy, Pineville, NC 28134
What to get: All you can eat hot pot
For $30 at Yiding Hot Pot, you can select from a Chinese hot pot menu of six broth bases and diverse proteins like spicy beef, lamb, duck and chicken, and seafoods like crab, lobster, shrimp balls and fish.
The menu and pricing recently changed to include more dim sum, seafood and even sushi, but I mostly stick to the hot pot.
It’s probably the most modern of Chinese interiors: Enter your selections on a tablet and watch as a robot brings your selections to your table.
This story was originally published September 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
